Ponchula
Ponchula is a name given to one of the High Priest of Hel's principle followers. She does not have a given name in the comics, but the name Ponchula was given to her among the fandom because she has plans to commit evil deeds which will require Greg to "bring a poncho".Comic #1112, "And Maybe a Change of Shoes" The name is a portmanteau of "Poncho" and "Dracula". She is referred to in the Character Index and in strip cast lists as the "Creed of the Stone Vampire with Long Hair", in keeping with her moniker in the Number of Character Appearances thread on the GiantITP.com forums. She was previously a member of the Creed of the Stone, serving as an usher for the Northern Godsmoot. Biography Ponchula was a human member of the Creed of the Stone, and as such she did not worship a deity, but rather Elemental Earth itself. She helped Exarch Gontor Hammerfell create the cathedral at the top of Zenith Peak. She was among those members of the Creed of the Stone who were killed and raised as vampire spawn by the High Priest of Hel with the help of Malack's Staff upon his arrival at the Godsmoot. The vampire spirit who occupies her body is therefore a cleric of Hel, not of Elemental Earth. Prior to becoming a vampire, the human Ponchula was repressing serious evil tendencies and so the vampire spirit and her human host actually get along quite well, in contrast to the relationship between Greg and Durkon. In the exchange that gave her her nom de guerre, she says that when they are done with their mission for their goddess, she and her human host are planning some "messed up stuff she's been thinking about for like a bajillion years...You're gonna want to bring a poncho, FYI." Ponchula was not among the members of the Creed who greeted the Order upon their arrival. Thus, she was never portrayed as a human before her undead transformation. She first appeared when the group of vampires rushed into the Great Nave to fight Roy. She, Gontor, and one other vampire survived that confrontation by entering the antilife shell which "Durkon" erected. This group all traveled with "Durkon" when she activated the teleportation orb and were transported to Firmament. In Firmament, Ponchula helped kill the defenders of the Temple of Thor. She then helped Greg prepare the banquet hall of Odin for their planned confrontation with the Order of the Stick. In combat, she used Greater Dispel Magic to dispel many of the magical protections which kept the Order from becoming dominated by the vampires' gaze. She also blinded Minrah. After the battle she feasted on the blood of Elan and Haley. When "Durkon" became distracted by Durkon's memories of his mother, Ponchula paused to see if he was ok. It was then that Mr. Scruffy activated Belkar's protection from evil brooch, freeing him from domination. Belkar attacked Ponchula from behind, decapitating her with a dagger, destroying the vampire. Powers and Abilities * Mid- to High-Level Cleric: Ponchula has cast Greater Dispel Magic and attempted to cast Harm, both 6th level spells, making her at least 11th level as a cleric.Comic #1085, "Omission Possible"Comic #1122, "Dispelling Misconceptions" Trivia * With 23 strip appearances, Ponchula is the character in the comic with the most appearances without a name with two exceptions. The only more frequently appearing nameless characters are the various Demon Roaches who are not really one character, and the intentionally enigmatic Monster in the Darkness. * Her host is also unnamed, but some people in the forums call her "Cindy" in order to differentiate her from the vampire proper. References Category:Characters Category:Humans Category:Clerics Category:Females Category:Dead Characters Category:Undead Characters